Pleasure-waterway.



No. 723,303. PATENTEDMAY-IQ, 1303. H. ROLTAIR.

PLEASURHWATERWAY.

APPLIGATION FILED .AUG. 22, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 3 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No.'728,303. PATENTED MAY;19, l903. H. ROLTAIR."

PLEASURE WATERWAY- APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 22, 1902.

N0. MODE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P TENT Patented May 19, 1903.

OFFICE.

HENRY BOLT-AIR, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

PLEASURE- ATERWAYJ mcmmtmmtmm at of Letters Patent No. 728,303, dated May 19, 1903.

Application filed August 22, 1902. Serial Ni). 120,684. (Noniodelj' 4 1 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY'ROLTAIR, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city of Detroit, county of Wayne, and

State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pleasure-Waterways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it 'appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the ac companying drawings, and to letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

M yinvention relates to pleas u re-waterways,

and has for its object means to reinforce the current of water at certain points in the w'aterway, to give the boats therein an increased speed at certain points, and to provide at a point therein a large sheet ofwater, forming the parquet of a theater, and details of construction hereinafter particularly described and claimed. 7

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a perspective viewof my improved pleasurewaterway. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail of the boat-checks in the theater. Fig. 4 is asection of the canal or waterway, showing the roller-way and one of the gates. Fig. 5 is a view showing the slide or gate controlling the entrance of flushing water into the theater, and Fig. 6 is aview showing the overflow-gate.

A reservoir 10 is located belowthe level of the waterway, the water being transferred from said reservoir by means of a pump or.

other device 11, driven by .a motor 11, to an elevated supply-tank 12, that furnishes the necessary head to move the water through the waterway. This tank receives the water that is supplied by a delivery-pipe 13,

the water preferably first passing over in an artificial cascade 14, and delivers it from the bottomofthe tank, which is elevated a few feet above the rest of the waterway, through two or more openings 15 down suitable. in-

clines 16 into a correspondingnumb'erfof feed-' channels 17 18. Boats start from aplatform or landing 19 adjacent the canal 20, and that portion of the canal in front of the platform is provided at each end with counterweighted form speed throughout their course.

ing controlledby-a slide or gate 33.

'bya suitable hand-lever. \Vater is supplied I to this portion of the canal between the gates in front of the. platform through a pipe 22 from the supply-tank 12. After passing the gate 21 the boats meetthe main supply from the channel 17. The canal is preferably, though not necessarily, made sinuous and has its current reinforced at one or more points, and the loopsAand B are here shown as connected to branches 23 and 24, .respectively, of the reinforcing-channel 18. At those points where the main current meets the reinforcing-current the boats will'be accelerated, so that theywill' not have a uni- At a point of the waterway, preferably near the end of the boats journey, is a sheet of water or lake 25, that formsthe parquet of a theater 26. The canal 20 is widened at 27 in front of the theater to permit the boats tobe turned through the entrance-arches 28 into the theater and lake. Submerged platforms 29 subdivide the parquet into channels to aline the boats, the forward boat in each line being held by a check or movable stop 30, 8o situated -suff ciently far in front of the stage to permit a good view ofthe performance.

From the upper part of the supply-tank l2 and extending along the front ofv the theater above the entrance-arches 28 is a flushing tank or trough 31, from which water can be admitted through openings 32 above and between the entrance-arches, said openings be- When the performance in the theater is over, an attendant releases the movable stops 30, either one at a time or all at once, and opens the gate 33 from the flushing-tank to allow water to fall in cascades into the parquet to flush the boats from said parquet through the 5 passages or arches 3 lunder the stage 35, when they will again enter' the canal at the rear of the theater and be moved'to the disembarking platform 36, the water flowing from thecanal through" the overflow 37 into the reservoir to be again sent over the same course. At the landing or platform 36 and between it and the landing 19 the canal is provided at its sides with a roller-way, on

the rollers 38 of which take flanges 70 of the boats 47. An attendant pulls the boats from one landing to the other, they being partly supported on the rollers while passing through the dead water between the landings. Along the canal at the rear of the theater is an operatives platform 46, from which those boats which do not readily enter the canal can be moved along, a similar platform 45 being located at the front of the theater from which an operative may direct boats through the arches 28 should this become necessary.

In case of an accident or fire it is desirable to insure an easy exit from the boats and the theater, and to this end I provide a gate 40 at the overflow, which when lifted will permitsufticient water to be drawn from the theater and canal to lower its level below that of the submerged platforms or guides 29. This gate 40 is simply a board hung between cleats or grooves 40 and provided with lifting rods, ropes, or chains 40", Fig. 6. The water being lowered, the audience can then step from the boats onto these platforms and walk up the inclines 41 between the arches that lead under the stage, onto the stage itself, and leave the theater bysteps 42 at the sides of the stage. In place of inclines 41, provided with cleats, I may use steps, and the submerged guides 29 are preferably covered with rubber matting or the like and have curved portions 43 at their outer ends to properly direct the boats into the canal again.

At each of the openings 15 in the supplytank there is a gate or valve to independently control the quantity of water delivered through each of them to the feed-channels 17 and 18.

The gate 33 for letting in the Water from the flushing-tank (shown in Fig. 5) consists of a built-up structure of wood or other material mounted on rollers and pulled to and fro by means of the screw 61 and handle 62, said screw working in a stationary nut 63. This gate has as many openings 44 as there are divisions between arches and admits water over a suitable chute 45 or in a cascade directly opposite each guide or platform 29, so that each stream will be divided by a guide 29.

The checks, Fig. 3, to hold the boats a suitable distance in front of the stage during a performance comprise wooden rods 48, pivoted at 49 and let into the sides of the inclined buttresses 41 of the arches 34. A. rope 50, connected at one end to the shorter arm of said rod, is provided with a ring 51 at its other end, which may be slipped over a pin or bolt 52, suitably situated on any convenient stationary part of the structure, and for the purposes of this specification I have shown such pin 52 in the outer ends of the guides 29, the rope being hidden from view between the side walls of adjacent arches 34. When the ring 51 is taken from its pin 52, the check 48 is free to move on its pivot, and the boats propelled by the incoming water from the flushing-tank will push it aside in their passage from the theater.

The gates 21 and 21 are simply built of wood or other material and pivoted intermediate the top and bottom at 53 on a suitable rod and provided below their pivots, preferably on their lower edges, with a-counterweight 54. This construction will ordinarily be sufficient to prevent too great a current and hold the boats during loading, and in order to pass such a gate it is simply necessary to push the boat over it. However, to avoid this the rod 53 is extended through one side of the canal and provided with a handle 55, so that, if desired, the operative may turn the gate down out of the way of the boat, the counterweight being suiiiciently heavy to right both gate and handle.

I prefer to build the canals and lake all on a level; but, if desired, they may be made on such slight inclines as the exigencies of each particular structure demand, and along the canals I provide such scenic display as may be desirable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a pleasure-waterway, a canal, means to maintain a current of Water therein, and means to reinforce the current of water therein along said canal, substantially as described.

2. In apleasure-waterway, a sinuous canal, means to maintain a current of water therein, and means to reinforce the water therein at one or more loops of the canal, substantially as described.

3. In a pleasure-waterway, an elevated supply-tank, a canal, means to supply the canal with water from said tank and means to reinforce the current of water therein from said tank at suitable points, substantially as described.

4. In a pleasure-waterway, an elevated supply-tank, an inclined feed-channelfrom the tank to the canal, and an independent inclined feed-channel connected to the canal at suitable points to reinforce the current therein, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a pleasure-waterway, the combination with a pleasure-canal, of a theater having the parquet thereof composed of asheet of water, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a pleasure-waterway, the combination with a canal, of a lake or sheet of water forming the parquet of a theater, and submerged guides in the sheet of water to position boats, substantially as described.

7. In apleasure-waterway, the combination with a canal, of a lake or sheet of water forming the parquet of a theater, guides to position boats and a check to hold the boats between the guides, substantially as described.

8. In a pleasure-waterway, the combination with a canal, of a sheet of water forming the parquet of a theater, submerged guides to po- IIO sition boats, a stage, and through-passages for boats beneath said stage, substantially as described.

9. In a pleasure-waterway,the combination with a canal, of a sheet of water forming the parquet of a theater and means to lower the level of the Water in the theater and substantially as described.

10. In a pleasure-Waterway, the combination with a canal, of a sheet of water forming the parquet of a theater and means to flush said parquet to move boats out of the theater, substantially as described. a

11. In a pleasure-Waterway, the combination with a canal, of a sheet of water forming the parquet of a theater, a stage, submerged.

platforms to position boats in the theater,passages beneath the stage for the boats, and means to connect the platforms and stage, substantially as described,

12. In a pleasure-waterway, the combination with a canal, of a theater, a sheet of Water forming the parquet of the theater, submerged platforms to position boats, a check to distance boats from the stage, an elevated tank at the front of the theater to flush the boats from the sheet of water through passages beneath the stage, and means to drain the parquet, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

13. In a pleasure-waterway, the combination with a canal,of a theater having entrancearches, a sheet of water forming the parquet of said theater, means to aline boats in said parquet, an elevated tank to supply water to flush said boats out of the theater, and a cascade between adjacent entrance-arches sup plied with water'from said flushing-tank, substantially as and for the'purpose set forth.

14. In a pleasure-waterway, acanal, a reservoir to receive water from the canal, means to transfer Water from the reservoir to the he gin ning of the canal and a removable overflowgate whereby the canal may be drained into said reservoir, substantially as described.

15. In a pleasure-Waterway, the combination with a canal, of a lake or sheet of water, a stage built over part thereof, exit-arches beneath the stage and a boat-check, comprising a pivoted arm let into the sides of the arches and means to hold said arm across the path of a boat, substantially as described.

16. In a pleasure-waterway, a canal, a sheet of water intermediate its ends and a stage supported above the sheet of water, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

canal,

17. In a-pleasure-Waterway, a reservoir, an

top of the cascade and means to supply an additional quantity of water to the sheet of water from the elevated tank, substantially v as and for the purpose set forth. I

19. In a pleasure-waterway, a' reservoir, an

elevated supply-tank and a canal connecting i the tank and reservoir, a dead-water portion in the canal at the beginning of the canal, gates at each end of said dead-water portion and means to supply the dead-water portion from said tank, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. q

i 20. In apleasure-waterway, a sinuous canal and bodies of water moving at a greater speed than the water in the canal and entering the canal atthe loops toreinforce the current in the canal, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 1 r

21. In a pleasure-waterway, a canal having starting and stoppingpoints, means at the starting-point to maintain a current of water in the canal, and means to reinforce the current of water in said canal at one or more places intermediate said points, substantially as set forth.

22. In a pleasure-waterway, a canalhaving contiguous terminals, means to maintain a current of water in the canal, and means to reinforce the on rrentof water in said canal at places beyond said contiguous terminals, substantially as set forth.

23. In a pleasure-waterway, a tank, a canal supplied with water therefrom, and channels from said tank to conduct water from said tank to the canal at places intermediate its ends, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses. 7

- HENRY ROLTAIR.

Witnesses:

VINCENT LEAMAN BoURoNIoH, (JASPER P. SCHMIDT. 

